Mean-value indicator with excess counter



Sept. 10, 1946. i P. HEYNISCH 2,407,369

'- MEAN-VALUE INDICATOR WITH EXCESS COUNTER Filed Dec. 14-, 1942 I Q I nxn rschlrglrorz Patented Se t. 10,1946

MEAN -VALUE INDICATOR WITH EXCESS COUNTER Paul Heynisch, Zug, Switzerland, assignor to Landis & Gyr, A. G., a corporation of Switzerland Application December 14, 1942, Serial No. 469,036 In Switzerland December 24, 1941 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for indicating mean values and refers to a device of this kind provided with an excess demand counter.

The majority of power agreements with electric power stations are based on the principle that, below a specified load limit, the energy consumed by a customer is used under favorable conditions.

For energy used in excess of the load limit, it is customary to provide a different rate. It is clear that such a method of charging for power may result in some hardship on a customer. In order to reduce such hardshipsand to be able to determine more accurately whether there has been any overstepping of the agreed load limit, meters have been provided'with a suitable means for recording the number of excess power demands in addition to providing indications for maximum power demanded. Therefore, an excess power register may indicate the number of recording periods during which the agreed maximum power has been exceeded.

Recording periods are time intervals Which can only be counted when they are consecutive and not overlapping. In view of this, a device with excess counter according to the inventionhas been created for mean value indicators designed as maximum meters operating with a plurality of overlapped recording periods. The essence of it is characterized in that for the duration of the excesses of the tariff limit a special counting train is coupled with a timing element. In this way the time during which the load mean-value oversteps the tariff limit can be measured by means of such a maximum demand measuring device. Conditions are preferably so chosen that the last type wheel of the cyclometer counter revolves once in one hour so that the excess time can be simply and immediately read off. 7

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example one fundamental form of embodiment.

Meshing with gear 3a is gear 4, which is rigidly coupled to a shaft carrying pinion 5. Pinion 5 drives counting train 6 registering total power consumption. Gear 32) meshes with gear 3 on shaft 3a, which shaft carries pinion 3'b. Pinion 3b operates a driving mechanism consisting of a system of five shafts I to I I inclusive. The drawing actually shows only shafts I and 9 together with their associated parts. Each of shafts I to I l inclusive carries two wheels la to I la and ID to ill) inclusive respectively and two levers 'Ic to Ho and Id to IId inclusive. The a series of gears are coupled among themselves by gear I2, while the b series of gears are similarly coupled among themselves by gear IZb, gears I2 and IZb being disposed on a centrally located shaft.

As is evident from the drawing, the a series of gears and the Z) series of gears forms two gear assemblies side by side, each disposed in a plane. All gears of the b series are coupled to their respective shafts by friction disks I3, the shafts carrying levers or steering members Id to I Id inclusive and forming driving elements. The gears in the a series are loose on their corresponding shafts, each gear carrying a pusher pin Ie to He inclusive, these pins cooperating with levers or pushers To to He inclusive rigidly disposed on their shafts and forming transmission elements. Thus, the c and d series of levers are rigidly mounted on the shaft. Due to the coupling of the b series of gears through center gear I2, it is clear that a definite angular motion of any one gear will be communicated to all of the b series of gears.

Through one of the pusher gears, such as 9a for example, the a series of gears are effectively coupled to bevel gearing I4 and I5. Bevel gear I5 is carried by vertical shaft Ifia at the free end of which pusher arm IBb functioning as a pointer is carried.

Pusher pointer I5?) is subjected to the influence of spiral spring I60 which urges pointer I61) and its shaft IBa and thus, through the gearing, in a direction opposite to the movement caused by the 0 series of pushers.

Pusher pointer Ifib functioning as a load mean value indicator is connected in a well known -manner as shown in the drawing with pointer I6d, which latter may serve as a maximum indicator.

Letit be assumed that the recording or clock period is fifteen minutes. In such case, the reset of each of the five pushers of the 0 series or the d series of levers back to their respective initial positions occurs every three minutes. This is due to the action of reset means operating on the d series of levers whereby the corresponding shafts and their pushers, the 0 series, are consecutively set back to zero.

The reset means may consist of device I! carrying lever 20. Reset device I! is driven by synchronous'motor I8, which function as a timing set Il operating on a fifteen minute recording.

period cooperates with the five pushers and every three minutes affects one pusher after another of the series to reset the same to zero. Thus, simultaneously all the a series of gears with their respective pusher pins are turned back by spring its until one of the 6 series of pins engages a pusher of the c series.

Shaft 56a which is driven from the meter armature via pusher device whose rotary movements consequently represent a measure for the mean-value of the energy consumption is coupled with an advancing mechanism. This comprises in the main a differential gear, one sungear 22 thereof being connected through gears 23 and 2? with the shaft Eta, whereas second sungear 25 is connected through a corresponding gear 25 with a contrivance for setting the tariff limit. This consists of two graduated dials 25 and 2'? for approximate and fine adjustment, the disk I or dial it being designed as toothed gear coupled through pinion 2 3 with graduated dial 2? made of transparent material. Handle Zia on disk 2? serves to turn graduated dials 26 and 2'? against friction to set the desired tariii limit. The scar ratio between the two graduated dials is suitably placed at l to 3, dial 26 being for approximate and dial 2? for fine adjustment. The planetary gear shaft of the differential carries cam disk 3% which cooperates with switch contacts Si in circuit with a coil of electro-magnet 32. Armature 32-, biased by a spring 3 bears two pawls 35 and 3% with which it controls a coupling which during the excess times connects counter Bl with the synchronous motor serving as timing element.

Synchronous motor i8 as timing element determining the recording period of the whole device and consequently running constantly is connected through gear 38 with planetary gear shaft 38a of a differential gear forming the coupling between excess counter 53? and synchronous motor l8. On sungear H of this diiierential coupling carries ratchet wheel 49 and pinion 39 through which it is coupled with the gear 35 of excess counter 31. Sungear 52 is rigidly con nected to ratchet wheel 43, but otherwise is loose on the shaft.

The mode of action of the entire mechanism is as follows: 7

By means of handle 2'ia the prescribed tarifi limit is set on the graduated disks to a value at whose excess the counter 31 is to be switched on. By this adjustment cam disk 30 takes a specified angular position to switch 3|.

As soon as the shaft liia driven from the counter or meter armature, i. e. worm I, through the pusher device has taken the prescribed angle, that is to say as the mean value of the energy consumption has reached the tariff limit, switch 31 is closed and the coil of the magnet energized. By this means armature 33 with pawis 35 and SE is attracted against the action of spring Thereby ratchet 3 and with it sungear 42 are locked and sungear 49 with gears 69 and 39 set free so that synchronous motor H3 drives counting train 3'! over the differential and gear 4B.

When switch 3i is open, i. e. as long as cam 3Q does not turn enough to close switch 3i, magnet 32 is not energized. Pawl 3'3 locks ratchet til with pinion 3i and therewith sungear. ll and counting train 3?. However, motor It continues to run freely for driving reset device H.

structurally the device is simplified by the fact that the cyclometer type rolls, the pinion drives, the differential arrangements, the controls as well as the electro-magnetic relays are of a type used in two-rate meters and need only be assembled in 4 the manner described according to the invention.

I wish to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. In particular, in place of the electro-magnetic relays with electric contact, mechanical relays may be provided, for instance in such a way that when the advanced work is overtaken by the retarded work a stop releases aspring which couples the excess counting work with the synchronous motor. Nor need the synchronous motor driving the reset device be utilized as timing element, although in the present example this proves particularl suitable. The timing element may also consist of some other organ, e. g. an independent clock-controlled motor.

The means for providing overlapping demand intervals are disclosed and claimed in my cothe rate of metering energy exceeds a prede pending application, Serial Number 469,835, filed December 14, 1942, now United States Patent 2,382,009.

What I claim is:

l. A maximum demand meter inciuding a meter driven driving mechanism embodying driving elements adapted to be successively reset to provide overlapping demand intervals, a timer, means operated thereby for resetting the driving elements, an excess counter, gearing for operating the counter from 1e timer, a coupler for throwing said gearing into and out of action, and normaliy holding the same out of action, and, electrical means for operating the coupler to throw the gearing into action for operating the counter including a switch, a cam operated from the driving mechanism when the rate of metering energy exceeds a predetermined value for closing the switch, and means for varying the action of the cam.

2. A maximum demand meter including a meter driven driving mechanism embodying driving elements adapted to be successively reset to provide overlapping demand intervals, a timer, means operated thereby for resetting the driving elements, an excess counter, gearing for operating the counter from the timer, a coupler for throwing said gearing into and out of action and normally holding the same out of action, electrical means 'for operating the coupler to throw the gearing into action for operating the counter including a switch, a rotary cam operated from the driving mechanism when the rate of metering energy exceeds a predetermined value, and a device for setting a predetermined tariff limit and coordinately advancing or retracting the cam to vary the action thereof.

3. A maximum demand meter including in combination a meter mechanism embodying elements adapted to be successively reset to provide overlapping demand intervals, a demand indicator operated thereby, a timer, means operated by the timer for resetting said elements, a counting mechanism adapted to be operated by the timer, gearing for operating the counting mechanism from the timer, an electrically operated coupler for throwing the gearing into and out of action and normally holding the same from action, acam operated switch for operating the coupler to throw the gearing into action when termined value. and means for V advancing or retarding the action of the cam.

PAUL HEYNISCH. 

